A wildlife saga of heart-rending proportions has unfolded on Manasota Key, FL,
within the past two months. Ospreys have always nested in a tall Norfolk Island
pine directly over our house for the 22 years we have owned it. We have become
accustomed to their loud calls and followed their antics and falling fish bones
with amusement and love. However on Jan.14 disaster struck when we found a
severed osprey head on our front walkway! It turned out that a pair of great
horned owls had attacked the ospreys to take over their nest and the male
osprey was killed, dismembered and subsequently eaten by the owls. Great horns
are fearsome predatory machines but they are entirely limited to nocturnal
activities, whereas the ospreys are active only in daytime. Although the owls
are slightly smaller than the ospreys (weights 3.1 vs 3.5 lbs; wingspans 44
inches vs 63 inches), they would seem to have an advantage in ferocity and
their ability to kill many different and quite large prey species (ospreys eat
only fish). But I have observed over the years that the ospreys nesting in our
yard have shown a tenacity and fighting spirit that may be necessary for
successful reproduction in a species whose nest and young are entirely exposed
to the sky. Most birds nest in obscurity and depend on camouflage to protect
their young. Once a much larger eagle tried to take the nest but it was fought
off by the ospreys.
Our female osprey has also endured difficulties before. In August of 2015 her
mate was electrocuted on a nearby power pole while eating a fish. Thus the
killing of her second mate in January of 2016 was the second recent loss of her
breeding partner. Yet within four days after the owl attack, she had attracted
a third male which has apparently remained with her and successfully defended
the nest site. I have concluded this since as of March 2, 2016, the pair have
resumed normal breeding activities and the owls are rarely heard.
Bill Dunson
Englewood, FL and Galax, VA
http://lemonbayconservancy.org/news-blog/nature-notes-by-bill-dunson/ ;
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Osprey pair at nest FL yard 3.1.16 IMG_1659 aa.JPG
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Osprey pair at nest FL yard 3.1.16 Bill Dunson IMG_1660 aa.JPG
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Osprey female on nest FL yard 3.1.16 Bill Dunson IMG_1663 aa.JPG
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Osprey male at nest FL yard 3.1.16 Bill Dunson IMG_1668 aa.JPG
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